Core breaker roller for rotary mining head



1962 J. s. NEWTON ETAL 3,050,292

CORE BREAKER ROLLER FOR ROTARY MINING HEAD Filed April 11, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet la, C E' k (1/7 is B3502; 5 flea/fin 21, 1962 J. s. NEWTON ETAL 3,056,292

CORE BREAKER ROLLER FOR ROTARY MINING HEAD Filed April 11. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOKS lPe'ckara C. Inna ills? 5. A eu/fo/z Jakn BY 3,050,292 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 3,050,292 CORE BREAKER ROLLER FOR ROTARY MINlNG HEAD John S. Newton, Glen Ellyn, and Richard C. Lundquist,

Palos Heights, 111., assignors to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 21,545 3 Claims. (Cl. 2629) This invention relates to improvements in rotary mining heads for continuous mining machines, and more particularly relates to an improved core breaker arrangement for breaking the cores between the annular kerfs cut by the rotary cutters of the mining head.

A principal object of the present invention is to improve upon the core breakers for rotary mining heads heretofore in use, by so arranging the core breaker rollers as to enter the kerfs cut by the cutters of the boring head and exert an in and out breaking action on the outer kerf wall, periodically wedging the cores outwardly from the kerf wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved core breaker means for rotary boring types of continuous mining machines operating on the principle of wedging the cores from the mine face with an intermittent wedging action, periodically wedging the cores outwardly with respect to the mine face.

A further object of the present invention is to improve upon the breaking of the cores between the annular kerfs cut by the rotary cutters of a rotary boring head by utilizing freely rotating core breaker disks entering the kerfs cut by the annular cutters and periodically coming into wedging engagement with the kerf wall along lines of action parallel to the axes of rotation of the core breaker disks to exert outward wedging actions on the kerf walls and cores between the kerfs during certain cycles of rotation of the core breaker disks.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings Where- FIGURE 1 is a front end view of a rotary boring head constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 i an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the boring head shown in FIGURE 1, showing the boring head in the operation of making a boring cut in a mine face;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of one of the core breaker disks constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a modified form of core breaker disk in the operation of breaking a core from the working face.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, generally designates a boring head having a plurality of radially extending boring arms 11. Any number and spacing of boring arms may be provided. As herein shown, two arms are provided, which extend diametrically in opposite directions from a central hub (not shown) rotatably driven by suitable reduction gearing carried in a gear casing for the mining machine (not shown). The boring head 10, as shown in FIGURE 1, has a central pilot cutter 12 in the form of a segment of a circle in end view and having cutter bit 13 projecting therefrom for cutting out a core or plug from the working face. Each boring arm 11 is provided with a series of radially spaced, forwardly projecting cutter supports 15, 16 and 17, each cutter support being arcuate in end view and having cutter bits 19 projecting forwardly from the forward end thereof and generally conforming to the circumferential path of travel of the associated cutter support. The cutter bits 19 are inclined at various angles with respect to each other in a conventional manner, to cut clearance for the associated cutter supports and cut a series of concentric kerfs in the working face of a seam of material to be mined. In FIGURE 2 of the drawings, we have shown the cutter supports 15 and 16 cutting concentric kerfs 21 and 22 in the working face of the seam of material being mined.

Mounted in trailing relation with respect to the cutter supports 15 and 16 are rotary breaker disks or rollers 23 and 25 respectively, mounted on the boring arm 11 for rotation about generally radial axes intersecting the axis of rotation of the boring head in advance of the forward face thereof and canted backwardly toward the boring head. The core breaker disks or rollers 23 and 25 are so positioned as to enter the kerfs 21 and 22 in trailing relation with respect to the associated cutter support 15 and 16 and to come into engagement with outer walls 26 and 27 of the respectively kerfs 21 and 22 as the boring head is advanced into the working face, to periodically exert wedging and breaking forces on cores 28 and 29 between the annular kerfs 21 and 22 and the annular kerf 22 and the annular kerf (not shown) cut by the cutter bits on the outer cutter support 17, which increase in force as the boring head rotates until the core is broken down.

The core breaker disk-s 23 and 25 are of a similar construction and are mounted on the boring arms 11 in a similar manner. The construction and mounting of the core breaker disk 23, therefore, need only be describe-d in detail herein and the same part numbers will be applied to the mountings and detailed features of construction of each core breaker disk. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, two radially spaced support arms 30 project forwardly from each boring arm 11 radially inwardly of and in trailing relation with respect to the respective cutter supports 15 and 16 and are inclined outwardly with respect to the axis of rotation of the boring head as they extend outwardly from the boring head and also are angularly positioned with respect to the boring arm to generally conform to the arcs of rotation of the cutter supports 15 and 16 and to support the core breaker disks 23 and 25 to enter the kerfs 21 and 22 respectively and follow the cutter supports 15 and 16 along the arcs of travel thereof. The support arms 30 cant the axes of rotation of the core breaker disks 23 and 25 inwardly toward the boring arm 11 as they extend outwardly therealong and generally tilt the core breaker disks 23 and 25 outwardly or upwardly, to enter the respective kerfs 21 and 22 at outwardly or upwardly inclined angles, depending upon the position of rotation of the boring arms 11, to come into wedging engagement with the kerf walls 26 and 27.

Each support arm 30 has a relatively flat upper face 31 recessed between parallel spaced outwardly projecting retainer walls 32, extending outwardly of the support arm 30 and face 31 thereof. The flat outer face 31 of the support arm 30 terminates in an inner shoulder 33. A bearing support member 35 has a lower or inner blocklike portion 36 fitting between the retainer walls 32 and abutting the shoulder 33 and retained to the support arm 30 as by machine screws 37. The block-like portion 36 has a stepped boss 39 projecting outwardly therefrom at generally right angles to the face 31 of the support arm 30, and forming a bearing support for mounting the rotary core breaking disk 23 for rotation about an axis concentric with its center and inclined backwardly toward the boring arm 11, from the lower to the upper end of said rotary core breaker disk and also inclined in trailing relation with respect to the longitudinal center line of the boring arm 11. The stepped boss 39 has a thrust bearing 40 mounted on the large diameter portion thereof, and an oppositely facing thrust bearing 41 mounted on the small diameter portion thereof. The oppositely facing thrust bearings 40 and 41 form supports for the rotary core breaker disk 23 on the boss 29, retaining said core breaker disk from axial movement with respect to said boss and mounting said core breaker disk on said boss for rotation thereabout. An annular dust retainer 43 is mounted on the enlarged diameter portion of the boss 39 and abuts an upwardly facing shouldered portion 44 thereof and is recessed within the rotary core breaker disk 23, to seal the bearing 40 from dust.

A bearing cap 45 is partially recessed within the upper end portion of the boss 39 and extends over the inner face of the thrust bearing 41, to form a retainer therefor. The cap 45 is secured to the boss 39 as by a machine screw 46. Access to the machine screw 46 is afforded by a pipe plug 47 threaded within a fiat upper end portion 49 of the core breaker disk 23.

The rotary core breaker disk 23 has a lower or inner generally frusto-conical face 50 extending within the kerf during operation of the boring head and an upper or outer undulating generally frusto-conical face 51, substantially longer than the inner face and having high portions 53 coming into engagement with the kerf Wall 26 during rotation of the boring arm 11 and rotation of the core breaker disk 23 about its canted axis of support on the boring arm. The high portions of the frustoconical face 51 have a series of hard facing ridges 54 thereon, providing hard wearing surfaces extending outwardly of the core breaker disk a short distance to resist wear on the core breaker disks and to increase the frictional contact between said core breaker disks and the kerf wall. The facing ridges may be made from a tungsten carbide or other hard abrasive resistant material. The high portions of the frusto-conical face 51 are connected together by low portions 55, whichrwith the high portions 53 form in effect a curve which in FIGURE. 2 is generally in the form of a flat sine curve at the pen'phery of the core breaker disk, but which may be of various other forms, dependent upon the forms of the high and low portions of the core breaker disk. 7 As shown in FIGURE 2, a low portion 55 of the disk 23 has been brought into engagement with the kerf wall at the outer end thereof, while a high portion 53 of the disk and the facing ridges 54 extending therealong are wedging the core from the working face of the mine with an outward pulling action.

As the boring arm 11 rotates and the disk 23 rotates about its axis, the undulating face of said disk, increasing in amplitude as the disk 23 rotates toward the high portion 53 thereof, will exert a wedging or breaking action on the kerf wall 26 along a line of action generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the disk 23 and indicated by reference character A. This increase in amplitude of the wedging face of the disk 23 therefore provides an increasing breaking or wedging action on the kerf wall along line A, as the disk advances into the working face, which in eifect produces an outwardly acting wedging force, pulling or in effect hooking the core outwardly from the wall thereof, as the portion of the disk 53 indicated by dotted lines in FIGURE 2 has been advanced to the. position of the disk 25 engaging the kerf wall 27.

The undulating wedging faces of the core breaker disks 23 and 25 thus move out and in with respect to the kerf :wall and exert outwardly forcing wedging hook-like actions along lines of action generally parallel to the axes of rotation of the core breaker disks, which as shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 occur four times during each revolution of therespective core breaker disks.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 4, a rotatable core breaker disk 60,. rotatable about an axis inclined with respect to the concentric axis of rotation of said core breaker disk is provided to attain the same breaking effect as in the form of the invention 4 illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 3, but once each revolution of the core breaker disk, rather than four times each revolution of core breaker disk, as in FIGURES 1 through 3.

In this form of the invention, the same part numbers will be applied to the same parts as in the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES '1 through 3.

The core breaker disk 60 has a frusto-conical breaker face 61 terminating at its inner side into a generally wedge-shaped periphery 63 having a hard-facing ridge 64 extending generally radially along said breaker face and engaging the kerf wall with a wedging breaking action once each revolution of said core breaker disk. The core breaker disk 61 is mounted on the bearing boss 39 in the same manner the breaker disk 23 is mounted on the bearing boss 39. The bearing boss 39 in turn'is mounted on an outwardly canted support arm 30, canted to bring the breaker face 61 into and out of breaking engagement with a kerf wall 26 during each revolution of said roller, to break the core along a line of action generally parallel to the concentric axis of rotation of the breaker roller and pull or hook the core outwardly with respect to the mine face. Shims 65 may be placed between the face 31 of the support arm and the underside of the block-like portion 36 of the support member to shim out the core breakers disk 60 to obtain the exact contact desired between the disk and the kerf wall to effect the most efilcient core breaker operation.

In FIGURE 4, the solid line X indicates the concentric rotational axis of the core breaker disk 60, while the dot dash line Y indicates the canted axis of the core breaker disk. The axis Y is tilted with respect to the concentric axis X about a point Z intersecting the axis X and spaced outwardly of the breaker roller.

This causes the breaker roller to rock back and forth about the point Z, shown in FIGURE 4 as being spaced from the outer end of the core breaker disk 60. As the core breaker disk 60 is rotated by engagement with the kerf wall 26, it will move from the broken line position shown in FIGURE 4 about the axis Z to the solid line position shown in this figure the hard facing ridge 64 being at the high point of rotation of the core breaker disk 60 to wedge the core from the working face. The support arm 30 thus cants the skewed axis of rotation of the roller 60 to move the frusto-conical face 61 of said core breaker disk in and out with respect to the kerf wall and gradually come into wedging or breaking engagement with the kerf wall along a line of action generally parallel to the concentric axis of rotation of the core breaker disk and thereby wedge the core backwardly or outwardly with respect to the working face.

It should be understood that the skewed axis of rotation of the core breaker disk 60 may be varied in order to provide a breaking action on the kerf wall and core suitable for a given material to be mined. As the point Z is moved outwardly with respect to the axis of rotation of the boring head, the angularity between X and Y will be reduced, the rocking action of the core breaker disk will flatten out. This will cause the breaking action to move outwardly along the frusto-conical face of the disk toward the periphery of the disk. The breaker disk 60 and the frusto-conical face 51 thereof will thus rock about a longer lever arm as said disk is rotated by bearing against the kerf wall with a resultant flatter wedging action on the core.

It may be seen from the foregoing that the cores be-' tween the annular kerfs cut by the radially spaced cutter bits '19 are intermittently attacked along lines of action generally parallel to the axes of rotation of the .core breaker disks with increasing force throughout rotational movement of the boring head and the core breaker disks carried thereby, and that the canted support arms 30 so position the axes of rotation of the core breaker disks wall and core during certain cycles of rotation of the core breaker disks, to wedge the cores outwardly with respect to the working face.

While we have herein shown and described several forms in which our invention may be embodied, it will be understood that various changes and modifications in the invention may be attained without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the invention, as defined by the claims appended hereto.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a rotary core breaker adapted for continuous mining machines of the boring type having a rotatable boring ann having radially spaced annular cutters projecting forwardly therefrom for cutting a series of concentrio annular kerfs in a mine face,

(a) at least one freely rotatable core breaker disk mounted on said arm in trailing relation with respect to an inner of said annular cutters,

(b) a shaft supporting said disk for rotation about a generally radial axis intersecting the axis of rotation of said boring arm in advance of said boring arm and canted backwardly from the point of intersection of the axis of rotation of said core breaker disk with the axis of rotation of said boring arm, toward said boring arm,

(c) said core breaker disk having a generally frustoconical breaking face having breaker means projecting outwardly therefrom, periodically forced into wedging engagement with the kerf wall along lines of action generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the disk, by advance of the boring head into the mine face as said disk is rotated by bearing against the kerf wall and breaking the core with an outward wedging action.

2. A rotary core breaker in accordance with claim 1 35 2 754 099 wherein the frusto-conical face of the core breaker disk is undulating.

3. In a rotary core breaker adapted for continuous mining machines of the boring type having a rotatable boring arm having radially spaced annular cutters projecting for wardly therefrom for cutting a series of concentric annular kerfs in a mine face,

(a) supports projecting forwardly of said arm in trailing relation with respect to certain of said cutters and inclined outwardly at acute angles with respect to a forwardly extended axis of rotation of said boring arm,

(b) and core breaker disks rotatably mounted on said supports for rotation about generally radial axes intersecting the axis of rotation of said boring arm in advance of said boring arm and canted backwardly from the point of intersection of said radial axes with the axis of rotation of said boring arm, toward said boring arm,

(c) said core breaker disks having generally frustoconical core breaking faces having at least one high spot projecting generally radially therealong and upwardly therefrom and positioned by said support to come into wedging engagement with the kerf wall along lines of action generally parallel to the axes of rotation of said core breaker disks, and wedge the cores backwardly from the kerf wall by axial advancing and rotational movement of said boring arm and core breaker disks during at least each cycle of rotation of said core breaker disks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McKinlay Oct. 19, 1926 Tracy July 10, 1956 

